Eckbach Mill Path


The Eckbach Mill Path is a footpath in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is 23 kilometres long and runs gently downhill along the Eckbach river through the Leiningerland in the northeast of the Palatinate region.

Course

The trail runs from west to east/northeast through the collective municipalities of Hettenleidelheim and Grünstadt-Land. It links nine villages and 23 of the original 35 water mills, running from the Palatinate Forest through the vineyards along the German Wine Road to the edge of the Upper Rhine Plain. The height difference between the start and end points is 200 metres, the cumulative gain and loss over the generally gently descending route is only 250 metres, hence its difficulty is assessed as easy.
The route, which is accessible all year round, is marked by wooden signposts, made and maintained by voluntary workers. They bear the mill logo and the name Eckbach-Mühlenwanderweg. The logo depicts a house and waterwheel above a wavy line and was designed by Cosmas Kösters from Kirchheim in a school competition. The wavy line symbolizes the Eckbach, the stylized house with a water wheel represents a mill.

History

The path was created as a tourist attraction initiative of mill researcher, Wolfgang Niederhöfer, from Kleinkarlbach. On 12 October 1997 it was inaugurated by the minister president of Rhineland-Palatinate, Kurt Beck, in Großkarlbach, the village with the most surviving mills. The suggestion made at the time to make the Großkarlbacher village mills a cultural monument and create the Leiningerland Mill Museum was achieved in 2007.
Originally the route began by the Eckbachweiher pond and was only 19 kilometres long, but in 2000 it was extended by 4 kilometres upstream to the source of the Eckbach in Hertlingshausen.

Places and mills

  1. Hertlingshausen
  2. Altleiningen
  3. Neuleiningen-Tal
  4. # Obermühle
  5. # Felsenmühle
  6. Kleinkarlbach
  7. #
  8. Walkmühle
  9. # Wiesenmühle
  10. # Bann- and Backmühle
  11. # Strohmühle
  12. # Schleifmühle
  13. # Langmühle
  14. Kirchheim an der Weinstraße
  15. #
  16. Kandelmühle or Oligmühle
  17. # Eselsmühle
  18. # Kochsche Mühle
  19. Bissersheim
  20. #
  21. Bruchmühle
  22. # Haldmühle
  23. # Bergmühle
  24. Großkarlbach
  25. #
  26. Mühle am Weiher
  27. # Schlossmühle
  28. # Rheinmühle
  29. # Village mills
  30. # Pappelmühle
  31. # Heckmühle
  32. Laumersheim
  33. #
  34. Weidenmühle
  35. # Hornungsmühle
  36. Dirmstein
  37. #
  38. Spormühle

    Literature

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